My Seventeenth Summer
by Yukimura Akira
Summary: Tenou Haruka, seventeen, bored and uninterested in life meets a girl who places value on life more than anyone she has ever met. Little did she know that that little encounter that they had would change her life forever.
1. Chapter I

Akira: Hello people, how're you doing? Fine I hope. Okay… this was kind of inspired by the song 'Garnet' by Oku Hanako. I think this story is rather typical if you ask me, but I just have to get it out before the idea goes away. Bear with me please, I know I should finish my stories first before I start a new one but I just can't help myself, lol.

_Chapter I_

_My name is Tenou Haruka._

_This is the story of my seventeenth summer._

_The story of how I met her._

_And this is the one story, which will stay with me for the rest of my life._

xxxxx

Bored to death; was the only phrase that could describe how the students felt at the moment. Listening to the old droning Ishikawa-sensei wasn't really helping at all, as was listening to the sounds of the chalk scratching against the blackboard while he wrote random Japanese terms on it, as was listening to the high pitched chirps of the cicadas on the trees outside the classroom. No one was paying any attention due to the heat, and apparently, the teacher did not notice either. They were all waiting impatiently for the bell that signaled the end of lessons to ring. After all, it was already the last lesson of the day before school closed for summer vacations.

A mess of long blond locks sprawled across the small desk and its edges beside the window while soft snores emitted from the figure who had her head on the table; sleeping as dead as a log. It wasn't long before a piece of pink chalk found its way onto the mess of blonde tresses and the figure let out an unhappy grunt as she slowly raised her head to look at the 'shooter' of the piece of chalk.

"Tenou, is my lesson that boring? I know this is the last day of school, but I would have preferred if you actually paid some attention."

"Don't worry sensei, she's like that in other classes too," rang a male voice from the back of the room while the rest of her classmates laughed along.

Tenou Haruka was not a girly girl, nor was she a tomboyish girl. She was just… herself; the entity who wasn't interested in anything at all. One could clearly tell that her facial features were androgynous; neither feminine nor masculine. With the height of a hundred and eighty-four centimeters, she easily towered over boys of her age. Her shoulder length blond hair was a little wavy at the ends and her blond fringes parted just above her left brow while a few strands of her bangs fell into her striking teal green eyes which always held a distant look that showed no emotions. One would normally associate Tenou Haruka with words like 'uninterested' or 'anti-social' and most of the students would steer clear from her path just because she didn't like interacting much.

With the intention to raise his objection at the students' volume level, the balding teacher opened his mouth to speak only to have his voice drowned out by the ringing bell which signaled the end of the day, followed by the happy cheers of the students as they chorused "_otsukaresama deshita_" to the teacher and ushered him out of the room. The room was soon filled with chatters of the students' holiday plans and goodbyes as they slung their bags over their shoulders and chanted "_natsu yasumi da!_" animatedly, excited about the summer break which had just begun for them.

The blond girl slowly yawned and stretched herself lazily as she stood up to collect her stationeries which were spread across the desk and stuffed them inside her stationary case disgruntled from having being woken up in a rude manner.

Just then, all of a sudden her teammate on the track team, Elza Grey, decided to give her a hard pat on the back, earning a glare from her in response.

"Hey! How're you going to spend your summer this year, Haruka? We're planning to go to the beach together, you wanna come along?"

'She dropped the honorifics again,' thought Haruka as she continued to pack her bag.

"Thank you for the invitation, Grey-san, but I'm going to Karuizawa again this year. My parents are needed at the hospital for an important meeting again," Haruka replied with disinterest as she glanced out the window for a second.

'It's going be so freaking hot outside… I hate summers. And why do I even bother to answer her every time? Just leave me alone already; I have no interest in talking to uninteresting people,' thought the blond girl again.

The redhead placed a hand under her chin and struck a thinking pose as she spoke, "Aw, that's too bad I guess. By the way, it's Elza. I've always wanted to go to Karuizawa for a nice vacation, but I just never really had the time to. Oh well, either way, this just means that I won't be seeing you for the summer practices again."

"I suppose so, Grey-san," came the languid reply as the tall girl lazily slung her bag over her right shoulder and walked out of the classroom with long strides. The other girl frowned a little when Haruka addressed her formally again but made no effort to correct the mistake and quickened her pace to match the taller girl's. It wasn't long before Haruka noticed that a majority of the people who walked passed them often slowed down and stared at her while giggling amongst themselves.

The blond athlete raised her brow enquiringly at them before popping an unexpected question at her fellow athlete, "am I dressed weird?"

The redhead stopped in her tracks and peered up and down the blonde's muscular figure before bursting into a fit of giggles herself. The good-looking blonde, annoyed at the action growled and asked impatiently, "what is it that's so funny?"

"Haruka, if you're seriously considering about dyeing your hair pink, I suggest you don't, because it seriously doesn't suit you," while shaking with giggles, the indigo eyed girl stood on her tiptoes and reached for the top of an annoyed Haruka's head and removed a piece of pink colored chalk from her head.

The Tenou girl grumbled again and ruffled her own hair in attempt to dust herself off of the pink residue that probably collected itself on her head and with one last sweep, she combed her hand through the soft golden tresses and her messed up hair fell back into place again.

Muttering a word of thanks to the indigo eyed girl, she gave a light wave with her hand and bade her goodbye lazily as they parted ways.

xxxxx

After walking for at least a good five minutes or so, she stopped outside a small café at the corner of the worn out street and threw a fleeting glance at the glistening black grand piano which stood proudly on the slightly raised platform where pianists performed; just like _he_ always did years ago.

She let out a sigh as she turned around and faced an unmoving signboard standing by the road side while she spoke, 'I know you're there, show yourself already.'

'Idiots,' she secretly thought.

As if it was his cue, the tall dark haired man who was dressed in an expensive looking black suit appeared from where he was hiding and played with his slick brown hair embarrassedly for being caught. "I'm sorry Haruka-sama," apologized the man as he lowered his head in shame and guilt before continuing, "I was told-

It was no use talking to them after all, she decided. Maybe it would've been better off if she ran away from home instead. But then again with her family's influence, it would probably take them no less than one day to find her in some hotel lying on the bed while being bored out of her life.

"Whatever, I'm going straight home already. So leave me alone," she interrupted him in the middle of his sentence and her voice trailed off at the end of her sentence stuffed her hand inside her pocket as she walked home with a couple of black Mercedes trailing after her and she thought again, 'don't they feel hot when they dress like this under the blazing sun?'

xxxxx

"Tadaima," called Haruka out of habit even though there wasn't anyone at home to greet her except for the maids and servants who replied with a courteous "okaeri nasai" and returned to their respective jobs soon after. After kicking off her shoes, she trudged up the stairs to her room and threw her book bag to some corner of her messy room before flinging herself onto the soft mattress on her bed. With a loud exasperated sigh, she placed her forearm over her emotionless greenish eyes tiredly.

'Life is boring,' she thought.

The flight to Karuizawa was scheduled to take off in a few hours, but she was not interested in visiting that boring place again. There would surely be a function after the meeting, and she would surely be dragged to the function whether she likes it or not, and at the function, she would be asked to play the piano for her parents to show off their 'outstanding' daughter. It wasn't that she minded playing the piano, the feeling that they were using her as an exhibit simply irked her to no end. Sometimes she really did wonder if they were her real parents, even though they do love her a lot. Additionally, the party was normally filled with rich and haughty young men who were constantly trying to get into her parents' good books for business opportunities and for her attention as well.

They surely weren't an interesting bunch of people who deserved her attention. They only cared for the money that her parents had, and that was all. She let out a frustrated groan and flung her forearm away from her eyes, letting it fall dead onto the soft mattress with a sound 'thud'.

She closed her eyes, and then opened them again.

Close eyes, and open them again.

Close them again, and open them once more.

How much time had passed? She couldn't really tell.

A knock on the door was heard before it opened fully, revealing a man in his fifties as he bowed slightly while he said politely, "Haruka-sama, it is time to leave. Your parents are already waiting downstairs."

She sat up fully and nodded at the elderly man and gave him her reply few seconds later, "I'll be there in a minute."

With another polite bow, the man dismissed himself by saying, "Well then, please excuse me."

'I don't want to entertain those irritating guys, but I have to be at the stupid party. How do I avoid them?' thought Haruka as she sat at the edge of her bed, taking her time to ponder over the problem. She looked around her room for something that would keep the guys away and her teal gaze soon fell onto something that lay innocently on the top of her study desk.

'Okaa-sama would probably kill me for this but…'

Well, she just had to try.

She took a deep breath and picked the item off of the desk and stuffed it inside her bag pack with a couple of things that she would need and left the room with a slightly satisfied smile on her face.

"Konnichiwa, Otou-sama, Okaa-sama, are we ready to go?" said Haruka as she spotted her parents from the second storey of the mansion.

Sitting on the leather sofa was a blond man who had grayish streaks in his wavy hair and a woman with auburn colored hair. He whipped his head around at the sound of his daughter's voice and set down the exquisite looking tea cup on the coffee table as he cleared his throat to speak. He stood from his position and offered a hand to his wife before heading towards their daughter with a smile on his handsome face.

It was evident where Haruka got her looks and height from. If she had worn her hair cropped and short like her father's they would probably look almost identical except for the fact that the outline of his jaw was firm and square, unlike Haruka's. The shape of her face and her eyes were probably the only things Haruka had inherited from her mother; and that was it.

Tenou Toshihiko was a tall man and a man of a few words. He possessed a pair of hazel brown eyes which contained depth, wisdom, and maturity. His ability to accomplish tasks was simply uncanny. You could throw ten thousand documents at him this day and he could be done with them by the next. That was how he was. A talented man with abilities like no others, and that, was Tenou Toshihiko.

Meanwhile, Tenou Miyuki was the perfect wife. She was a head shorter than her husband and her daughter. Always faithful and loyal to her husband, aiding him in any way she could; not that he really needed any help anyway. Her long auburn hair always had a certain glow to it and when she looks at you in the eyes, you find yourself mesmerized and lost like a little lamb which lost its way home. Yes, that was how beautiful her eyes were, how dangerously attractive they were, and the story of how she captured the heart of Tenou Toshihiko with just a simple look was no myth.

Her parents were simply beautiful and perfect; unlike her. And as perfect as they were, they expected their child to be perfect as well. To be talented in different areas; such as music, sports, academics, and many more. But much to their dismay, Haruka seemingly had no interest in anything at all; not even life.

"How was your last day in school?" a gentle voice inquired as they came face to face within the distance of three feet apart.

"It was fine, Okaa-sama," replied Haruka in a bored tone as she ran a hand through her long blond hair which was starting to get in the way.

"Let us depart then, they're waiting for us," said Toshihiko as he wrapped his free arm around Haruka's smaller shoulders.

xxxxx

"Konbanwa, Toshihiko ji-san, Miyuki ba-san, I hope you'll enjoy the trip," greeted the captain as he bowed to the tall blond man in respect.

"Ah, konbanwa, Kiyoharu-kun, I'm sure the flight will be a delightful one with you around," Toshihiko laughed and patted the other blond man on his shoulders with two heavy and large hands.

"I'm Yoshiharu, Toshihiko ji-san," corrected the man as he looked at the ground, a little disappointed of the mistake that the older man made.

The older man raised a brow at his answer and stared straight into the captain's eyes. Within seconds, he laughed lightly and answered confidently, "You can't fool me, Kiyoharu-kun."

The captain laughed and replied nervously, "You got me, Oji-san. How could you tell?"

The Tenou man gave him a mysterious smile and replied with a simple "I have my ways" and led his wife towards their seating area.

A brilliant smile could soon be seen on his face as he turned to the younger Tenou on the plane while her parents strolled to their personal seats, giving her a boyish and casual greeting while he ruffled her hair like he always did whenever they met up.

"Yo, Haru!" he slung an arm over her shoulders and continued, "Enjoying your summer vacation?"

She frowned and swatted his hand away as she retorted in an irritating tone, "No I'm not, and don't call me Haru, there're three springs in the family, Haru-chan." (1)

Not long after, her frown broke into a smile and she gave the young blond man a friendly hug and a pat on the back as they shared a toothy grin. She took a step back and took a good look at the tall man, nodding her head in approval.

"Seems like you've grown a _teeny_ bit taller, Haru-chan," teased Haruka as she raised her hand to show a tiny gap between her fingers to emphasize how little he'd grown.

Haruka's cousin, Tenou Kiyoharu was one of the three people who understood her best; his older twin brother, Yoshiharu being the second, and the last was Tenou Haruka herself. The three of them had been close ever since they were young and they spent most of their childhood together. Playing games, running around the Tenou mansion and creating troubles for their nannies were what they did best.

The Tenou brothers were almost as tall as Haruka was, perhaps only a few centimeters shorter. They both had short golden blond hair and hazy blue eyes. When put together, people could hardly tell the brothers apart as they were alike in many aspects. They were two years older than Haruka was, and had graduated from high school nearly a year ago. The older brother, Yoshiharu was more sensible and responsible while the younger brother Kiyoharu had a more playful nature as he was almost always the one who instigated all the tricks that they played on the adults when they were still children.

The young Tenou man growled playfully at his sound of his nickname and rested his arm on his young cousin's shoulders as he asked, "So… are we ready to meet the handsome young lads, Haru?"

The beautiful face grew into a frown as she thought of the party that would soon take place in the pension near the hospital.

"Buzz off, Haru-chan. You know I'm not interested. As a matter of fact, I have formulated a plan to avoid them fully; though Otou-sama and Okaa-sama may not approve of it."

"Oh? Getting smart now, are we? Let me in on the fun too!"

"Alright, but on the condition that you don't rat out on me, Haru-chan."

"Aw c'mon, you've known me for years, Haru. Am I the type to sell his buddies out?"

"Yes" was her unwavering answer. And he gave up in mock frustration.

"Fine, I swear that my lips are sealed. I won't tell anyone other than Haru-nii."

"Well, it goes like this…"

**A while later…**

"Why that's a brilliant plan, Haru!" exclaimed the blond man as he slapped his thigh in his excitement and spoke again, this time in a much lower volume after the glare that was sent in his direction, "I'd love to see the look on Miyuki ba-san's face when she sees you later."

"Yeah… just don't do anything stupid and help me out."

xxxxx

While seated beside the window, the young blonde leaned into her hand as she rested her elbow on the armrest of the seat, staring at the fluffy clouds below the wings of the jet.

'Today may be an interesting day,' she smiled to herself.

xxxxx

"Tenou Haruka!" exclaimed her mother in surprise. What came into Miyuki's sight was unexpected.

"Whatever happened to your hair?"

Standing right in front of her, was a tall young 'man' sporting short golden tousle, dressed in her cousin's light blue and white stripped polo shirt paired with snow white slacks and light brown leather shoes.

She rubbed the nape of her neck and replied sheepishly, "Well… The weather is too hot, so I decided to get a haircut."

Almost identical teal green eyes narrowed skeptically and another question was posed, "And your choice of dressing?"

At that inquiry, Haruka quickly looked to her older cousins for support.

Kiyoharu looked to his brother nervously while Yoshiharu laughed with equal nervousness as he interrupted, "Miyuki ba-san, it's good to have a change of image once in a while, isn't it?"

"I agree that a change of image is good once in a while but this… she looks… just like-

"Me?" a deep voice finished her sentence.

"No, Toshi! Well yes, she does look just like you. But she looks just like a boy!"

"It's fine, Yuki, maybe this change isn't that bad after all," he turned to his young daughter and gave her a little smile. It felt as if he knew this was going to happen sooner or later.

xxxxx

"Tenou-sama, as we all know, there will be a few new labs in the east wing for researching purposes as well as new single wards in the west wing."

The Tenou head nodded sternly at the director as he scanned the surroundings, nodding in approval. Meanwhile, the young Tenou heir gazed out the window, looking listless and bored while she listened to what the director has to say about the latest developments in the hospital. As the group stopped in the lobby for a short break, Haruka took the chance to stretch herself and gave a light yawn as she plopped down onto the nearest sofa in sight.

After a few drinks were passed around and quickly consumed, the director spoke once again, "Sir, I believe it's time to proceed. Shall we?"

'Just how much further is that geezer going to take us?'

Toshi, as if reading her mind, walked towards his daughter and patted the blonde girl on her head while he spoke, "If you're tired, go for a short walk. I will continue with the rest of them."

At that very sentence, her teal green eyes regained their former glow visibly and she thanked her father for the favor.

"Thank you for being understanding, Otou-sama," said Haruka.

"Just remember to return before the party starts, I will be waiting for you here."

The blonde nodded in understanding and the group set off again, this time, to god knows where.

Walking to the canteen, she grabbed herself a drink and took the elevator up to where her parents' office was supposed to be.

The elevator stopped with a 'ding', and the blonde stepped out quickly, turning her head around for the sign which would direct her to the office.

Following the sign, she stopped by a door with her father's nametag and raised her hand to turn the knob only to stop suddenly.

'Huh? Music?'

She whipped her head around, listening more intently as she followed the sound slowly. The melody sounded so delicate that it made her stop her breathing, feeling as if even a little breath would blow the melody away. The Tenou girl took her steps slow and light, until she came to a door that led to the roof.

'What beautiful sounds… It's been ages since I've heard something like this. Who is it?'

The door was left ajar, and her curiosity was killing her.

Gently and silently, she opened the door.

The sight that greeted her was unbelievable.

Her lips parted as she spoke in a loud whisper.

"An angel…?"

The figure stopped immediately at the voice of a stranger and then, teal green eyes met ocean blue ones.

_And that was how we first met._

End of Chapter I

**-Omake-**

'Huh? Music? Where's it coming from?'

The blonde girl followed the trail of music until she came to a door which led to the rooftop.

Opening the door gently, her eyes were fixated onto a white figure playing the violin animatedly.

She took slow silent steps towards the figure, hoping to see the face of the person who could play such wonderful music…

"An ange-

Bzzt!

"Huh? Whoa!"

The music stopped completely as she tripped over an extended cord which was connected to a CD player not far from the figure.

And that was how our protagonists met.

End of Omake

Akira: Lol, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The little omake wasn't really funny I know. I just feel that I _have_ to get it out of my system somehow lol. It wasn't very nicely written, I have to admit. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Do leave a review if you like. No obligations here but I sure would like to know how the readers think of this. :)


	2. Chapter II

_Chapter II_

The day was bright. The warm summer breeze was soothing. White sheets fluttered lightly in the wind, creating a slow but steady rhythm in the blond teen's heart as she stared breathlessly at the girl with a violin in her hands. The wind ruffled the girl's wavy aqua curls lightly and she tucked an aqua strand behind her ears delicately.

She was speechless. The breathtaking sight before her was being burned into her mind right at that very moment. She ought to say something, she realized. But when she opened her mouth to talk, nothing came. Her mind was frantic, her breath was erratic, and nothing seemed to be the right thing to do. Not when she felt that she had rudely interrupted music so beautiful that it would send the listener into another dimension.

She could only flush at how foolish she must've seemed. She blushed guiltily in embarrassment for appearing to be so silly in front of a total stranger, mistaking her to be an angel that descended from the heavens no less and for interrupting the heavenly music which echoed silently in the halls earlier.

Deciding to apologize, she gave a bow of apology to the beautiful girl and the gesture was returned with a shy smile and a half bow in greeting.

She parted her lips to speak again, this time interrupted by a familiar outcry of "There you are!"

She whipped her head in the direction of the familiar voice and witnessed Kiyoharu rushing over to her.

"I've been looking for you all over the place. It's time to put your plan in action, Haru." With that said he reached for her wrist and tugged her along quickly.

"Hey wait-

With one last look at the door which led to the roof, she let herself be led away in a hurried manner.

xxxxx

She stood in front of the full length mirror and stared at her reflection while she adjusted her silk bow tie casually. All she found was a reflection almost belonging to her father staring right back at her. Wild untamed blond fringes fell into her striking teal eyes and she blew them out of her face quickly before they started irritating her eyes.

The blond girl traced her hand through her now short hair. What was that feeling of relief that coursed through her veins? She felt oddly calm and at peace. The feeling was not something that was new to her but it had been a long time since she last felt that way. The last time was when her grandfather played a soothing melody on the grand piano for her while he was still alive. She took a few steps back from the mirror and when her calves felt the edge of the bed; she fell backwards and landed on her bottom as she leaned back with her hands supporting the weight of her upper torso.

She looked out of the window. The beautiful golden orange rays of the sunset reminded her greatly of the days where she used to be young and carefree without a worry in the world. She would spend all her time with her doting grandfather and naughty cousins having fun, practicing on the piano, and running out of breath while they raced to the top of the hill near the Tenou mansion. A lone tear welled up in her eye at those fond but also sad memories and she blinked, letting it roll down her smooth cheek freely.

The doorknob turned with a slight click and she quickly reached for her handsome face to wipe away the tear which fell from her teal orbs. A familiar blond head popped out from the opening of the crack and she smiled tiredly at her older cousin, "Hey there Haru-nii."

The blond man smiled at his younger cousin and entered the large room furnished with luxurious furniture like a king sized mattress laid on a canopy four poster bed which looked like it was from the Victorian era, traditional hardwood chests, an expensive painting which hung right above the headboard of the bed, and a full length wood framed mirror mounted to the wall to the right of the bed.

Noticing that something was wrong with his little cousin, he plopped onto the bed beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders awkwardly, since she was a little taller than he was.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" he asked in a concerned tone.

She sighed.

"Even if I said nothing was wrong with me, you wouldn't believe me, right?" said Haruka as she looked directly into his hazy blue eyes.

The blond man only smiled and replied, "Well, we know you well enough. You'll tell us when you want us to know."

Giving the pilot a light punch in the shoulder, she grinned at his honesty and agreed, "Yeah. So what did you come up for? The last time I checked I still have fifteen minutes of slacking time before we actually have to leave for the stupid function."

He let out a low chuckle and messed with the blond girl's wild hair and said, "Well, I just wanted to know if you look better than us in a tux."

xxxxx

Dressed in a handsome tuxedo and sitting in the corner of the ballroom, she yawned into her right hand and rested her cheek onto her free palm while she stared at the people milling around the ballroom idly with a look of uninterest. The room exuded a majestic air which screamed abundant opulence as it was graced with many valuable antiques, giant glass windows that granted magnificent views of the lake surrounding the mansion, large chandeliers that hung off its tall ceilings, as well as great mahogany doors that led to the hallway where famous paintings and medieval armors could been seen.

"Having the time of your life here, pretty boy?" asked the twins as they sat themselves on either sides of the blond, each slinging an arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Quit it, you both know I'm no pretty boy," she shrugged their arms away irritably and continued, "How can I be enjoying myself in this boring place with tons of boring people idling around and bragging about their abundant wealth to one another?" retorted Haruka as she narrowed her teal eyes at her cousins.

The blond pilots gave a light chuckle and Yoshiharu replied with a knowing look on his face, "well first off, your plan worked out pretty well, no annoying guys are coming up to you to chat, so you should be happy about that. But on the other hand…"

"You seemed to be the center of attention tonight for the ladies. They look like they're eyeing you like a pack of hungry wolves who found a chunk of juicy steak lying in the midst of a forest waiting to be pounced on anytime soon," finished Kiyoharu as he shared identical devious smiles with Yoshiharu while they eyed their blond cousin funnily.

Having caught on to their message, the blond girl reacted almost instantly with a loud "No!" in process, earning a few disgruntled looks from the people around. She gave the curious crowd an apologetic look and returned to her cousins, "I know what you're thinking and my answer is no."

"Aw c'mon, just one dance? We don't get to see you like this often Haru. Just once for memories sake, pretty please?" the prolonged last syllable warned her that they were going to give her the puppy eyed look again. 'Crap, it's coming again,' she face palmed and shook her head at her cousins who grinned and once again slung their arms around her shoulders as they said, "Now we're talking." The mischievous blond men stood up abruptly, each holding her arm on each side quickly and dragged her towards the dance floor where many couples were busy dancing to the beats.

All eyes turned to her as she stood in the middle of the dance floor without any partner except for her blond cousins who let go of her arms as quickly as they could and gave her a big toothy beam.

"Have fun, buddy. This is probably the only time that you'll be here like dressed like that," with that, both pilots retreated from the dance floor quickly, leaving her in the midst of dancing couples.

Defeated, she returned a handsome smile at them and whipped her head around, looking for a dance partner for the night and it wasn't long before a shy looking brunette came up to her, politely asking the handsome teen if she would like to dance. The blond girl quickly nodded as she searched for her mischievous cousins out of the corner of her eyes. She quickly found them standing near a waiter who held a small metal tray containing alcoholic beverages of all sorts. Their eyes met momentarily, the twins grinned and gave her thumb ups, and she rolled her eyes at their childishness before returning to the young lady who stood before her.

'Well, might as well get this done and over with.'

Posing as the perfect gentleman, she offered her hand to the petit brunette and whispered lowly, "Shall we?"

The girl blushed in reply and placed her smooth hands onto the blonde's hand gingerly, "Yes, let's."

Haruka carefully placed one hand upon the girl's hips and held her hand in the other. They swayed to the waltz. And within minutes, her mind drifted away from the dance. The image of the beautiful violinist whom she met during the day filled her mind. That music was definitely something out of this world. She had to hear it again to be sure that the girl really existed. Suddenly, she stopped, causing the small brunette to trip over her toes a little and startling Haruka for that moment as well.

Haruka quickly let go of the girl and apologized with a slight bow, "I'm sorry, I have to go. Thank you for the dance."

The girl bows in return, probably out of habit due to her upbringing for a proper lady and thanked Haruka in return for being a wonderful partner, even though she stopped in the middle of the waltz with no warning or whatsoever.

With that, Haruka retreated into the dancing crowd around them and faded from the brunette's sight slowly just like a dream. She pulled herself away from the crowd and tugged at her collar uncomfortably as she looked around, trying to locate the nearest door to the balcony outside. Opening the enormous glass doors to the balcony, the icy cold winds of the summer night welcomed her into the open air, messing her wild blonde hair as she took a deep grateful breath. The feeling of fresh air filling her lungs was great.

She watched the silent lake with her striking teal eyes. The view was indeed magnificent. Millions of glowing lights hovered above the lake as they fluttered like the millions of shining and glittering stars in the Milky Way. A sudden strong gust stirred and the glowing lights were whisked away towards the night sky in a swirling spiral.

She ran a hand through her short but untamed hair and leaned her elbows on the railings of the balcony and she did that, she closed her eyes, allowing her imagination to run wild within seconds. Images of the girl playing the violin animatedly poured repeatedly into her head like a broken record. She let out a smile as she visualized the two of them playing together in the plains without as any unwanted disruption as the wind dishevels their hair lightly. The aqua haired girl was wearing a white colored sundress with small floral patterns printed on the hem of the dress and she herself was dressed in plain white tees and a pair of light brown colored jeans, both of the smiling in pure bliss.

A light tap on the shoulder snapped her out of her reverie and she turned her attention to the person, "Haru-nii? What're you doing out here? Aren't you enjoying the party inside together with that evil twin brother of yours?"

Her blonde cousin let out a disappointed sigh and replied somewhat curtly, "I'm Kiyoharu."

A chortle escaped the blonde girl's lips and she answered truthfully, "I know. I was just having a little fun, Haru-chan. So what brings you here?"

"Toshi ji-san's looking for you, he's right by the orchestra. Just turn left when you get in from this door," Kiyoharu patted her slightly on the shoulder and wished her luck as she passed him with a hand raised in reply, her back facing him.

It was finally coming. The time to show off and perform.

xxxxx

Standing in front of the orchestra was the Tenou head with his beautiful wife holding on to his arm, speaking to a short and balding chubby bespectacled man who seemed like he was the president of some private pharmacy whom she met when she was still little. Almost identical teal eyes met and Tenou Miyuki beckoned for her daughter with a nod. Understanding what the nod means, she strode over to her perfect parents with large strides and were next to them in no time.

"Haruka, where are your manners? Come introduce yourself properly to Watanabe-san," Miyuki chided her daughter lightly.

The blonde teen gave a light bow to the man who her parents were talking with and greeted him with a solemn voice as she faked a smile, "Konbanwa, Watanabe-san."

"Goodness, you're the splitting image of your father except for the beautiful eyes you inherited from your mother of course!" said the fat man with a thick foreign accent and adjusted his thick looking half framed glasses with round lenses as he scrutinized the young 'man' standing in front of him. "Your parents have told me so much about you since the hour we met; you're indeed as handsome as your father like they said!"

Watanabe gave her a little too friendly clap on the back and turned his attention back to the Tenou couple who smiled proudly.

"Not only that, he is extremely skilled with his piano techniques," added her mother quickly.

'_He?'_

At this point in time, Haruka was paying attention to anything but the balding old man in front of her and wondered how many layers of lenses were on the thick swirly glasses that he was wearing. What entered her mind after that were vague voices of the adults talking about their businesses and how talented their offspring were and her parents covering for her gender when the pharmacy president mentioned something about meeting her when she was a lot younger than she was now.

The event was soon to come. She could feel it. And true enough, it came when the spotlights landed on her and as if she had rehearsed for the performance, she strolled towards the baby grand piano in the mini stage of the ballroom gracefully and gave a short bow before she began her solo.

Her eyes were closed; her fingers ran over the keys with incredible fluidity. The overwhelming feeling of familiarity of the keys coursed through her entire being and everything in the room faded into darkness except for the piano and her. It was then that her mind decided to play tricks on her. The imaginative mind of hers decided to set the images of what she imagined earlier on playback mode in her head. Even though she was supposed to have felt disturbed, she found no such feelings but only peace and calmness within herself.

Minutes later, her fingers landed heavily on the piano keys and jammed to a stop, signaling the end of her solo performance and she opened her beautiful teal orbs once again.

The ballroom erupted in loud applause and she stood up to give another bow at the end of her mini solo concert. Somewhere in the corner of the luxurious ballroom, catcalls and whistles were heard and she whipped her head around, searching for two blond heads that were obviously the source of the sounds. After no longer than five seconds, she spotted them holding up thumb ups and grinned at the twins thankfully for their company for the night.

The so-called associates of her father wasted no time in approaching her and buttering up to her and praising her for her natural talent in her music. Faking a smile at the crowd, she shook a couple of hands of the exuberant acquaintances of Toshihiko's and tried to leave the crowd as soon as she could. After finding her way out of the overwhelming people, she headed for the enormous glass doors which led to the balcony quickly and stumbled clumsily into it.

It was simply too suffocating in there. She was already sick of the stinking rich people who only knew how to suck up to her parents for their selfish business ventures which seemed like they (the ventures) were only drafted up to exploit the minds of people who were from the middle class or lower.

Her mind returned to the girl whom she met at the rooftop during the day. Her beautiful ocean blue eyes flashed once, twice, thrice…

Haruka shook her head.

'I must be mad. Going crazy over some girl who plays the violin on a hospital rooftop is ridiculous… but her talent for playing the violin was amazing.'

Just then, Kiyoharu decided to scare the shit out of his younger cousin by creeping up on her silently, only to have his plan foiled by said cousin who caught on to his presence with her athletic senses. Almost immediately, she held the pilot in a headlock and within seconds of his head imprisonment, he yielded.

"Gee alright, alright! I'm sorry!"

The blonde let out a laugh and released her hold on the older man's head.

"That'll teach you."

"Come on Tenou, it's just a little fun," Kiyoharu grinned toothily before turning totally solemn.

Noticing the difference in atmosphere, the younger Tenou settled down and leaned her hips against the railing, folding her arms across her chest.

"What is it, Tenou? Spill the beans."

"It's nothing, Tenou-san," she replied casually, carefully avoiding the hazy blue eyes of the prying man.

The young pilot remained silent, but kept his eyes focused upon his obviously lying cousin who shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Alright fine, I'll spill," the girl finally gave up and spoke, "but tell no one, you hear?"

"Not even Haru-nii?"

"Well… Haru-nii's an exception I guess. Since you _always_ tell him everything and anything," Haruka rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, so go on."

"There was this girl I met earlier…" she started slowly.

"Whoa wait! A girl?!" he exclaimed almost immediately as his blue eyes widened, but then relaxes right after that and faked wiping a tear from his eye while he sobbed dramatically, "Oh thank you kami-sama! My dear Haru's _finally_ all grown up now…"

"It's _not_ like that, you twit," she interrupted him quickly with a knock to the top of his head and continued, "It's her music. I keep hearing it in my head even though we left the hospital sometime back…"

When she was finished with her story, her twit of a cousin simply decided that she fell hopelessly in love with a mysterious girl who played the violin otherworldly well and was obsessed with her music. And Haruka, being the lazy ass that she always was, left the topic at that and gave up of explaining herself to the blond idiot before he decided to blab about the matter to everybody.

Her mind wandered again.

Who was she and why did she occupy the blond athlete's mind whenever she went?

Well, it was no point playing guessing games with herself.

She was determined to find the reason.

And so the decision was made.

"I'm going to see her again."

End of Chapter II

**-Omake-**

Closing one's eyes while playing the piano was a very common thing for experienced pianists, of course, by saying experienced pianists, it did not include someone by the name of Tenou Haruka. Because on that very moment, the wrong keys were constantly being played and the crowd stared on awkwardly at the pianist who was obviously lost in her own world of twisted musical sense. How can someone play a piece so haphazardly and not _know_ he was on the wrong keys?!

The next few minutes were hell to anyone who weren't deaf. And when she was _finally_ done with that awful performance, the crowd cheered gleefully as hell was finally over.

On that very night, the name Tenou Haruka struck fear into the minds of people with no hearing problems.

End of Omake

Akira: Hi, been a long time! I'm very sorry for the uber late update so here it is. Much to my surprise, positive reviews were received last chapter despite the lousy writing and all. I'm glad some of you liked the Omake. It would've been funnier if I could put everything into more appropriate words. The Omake in this chapter isn't good but I just wanted to try getting it off my mind. Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story. I have high hopes for this but… I'm unsure of where my capabilities lay lol. So I'm really sorry if I disappoint anyone out there for ruining this so-called 'potential story'. This chapter is really short and not happening at all. I am greatly disappointed how this chapter turned out but this is it for now. Oh yes by the way, don't ask me how the white sheets managed to get onto the rooftop of a hospital. I really don't know the answer to that question lol.


	3. Chapter III

Akira: Hello people, it's me again. I hope I didn't take too long to continue with this. There're probably less readers now since I haven't updated in a long time hah. I'm very sorry for my slow update, hope you guys will still stay on with me! Thank you all so much for your reviews, I loved them xD Let's move on to the next chapter!

_Chapter III_

Tossing and turning was usually common for humans who slept.

It was different though; for Tenou Haruka at least. She was an unusually sound sleeper who hardly made any movements while she slept. Her thoughts revolved about the statement she had made earlier on.

It was after she made the statement about seeing the girl again that she realized that she had absolutely no means of finding her. Going back to the hospital was one thing, but how could she be sure that the violinist was definitely going to be there? She quickly shrugged the matter off her mind and shut her at the moment not so striking teal eyes tight as she tried to drift off to whatever dreamland there was in store for her.

Minutes passed.

She tossed.

She turned.

And then she pondered.

It wasn't that the four poster bed wasn't comfortable enough nor was it too small for her since it was king sized. The softness of the pillows was simply as tender as a mother's touch. She let out a frustrated grunt and grabbed the clock from the bedside table.

_03:27_

Having taken a clear look at the time, she tossed the clock away from her and it landed on the carpeted floor with a soft 'clank'.

Dead tired as she was, she could not catch a single wink at all.

She fell back to the warm covers, creases forming along the sheets as the proof of her very existence.

Then she waited in silence, hoping that sleep would finally overcome her being as she laid there unmoving.

xxxxx

"Ohayou, Haru!" greeted her idiot blond of a cousin happily as he plopped down onto a seat right next to her.

Despite the usual lack of sleep, the Tenou family had always been early risers. Of course, that included Haruka. On a side note, though they were early risers, lack of sleep always seemed to be the cause of their grumpiness in the mornings. That of course, included Haruka as well.

…

"How can you be so damn loud the first thing in the morning?" asked Haruka as she poked at the innocent piece of buttered toast with a fork.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, my dear cousin," he said, and slung an arm around her shoulders just to irritate her further and continued, "didn't anyone teach you about not playing with your food while you eat?"

"Shut up and eat your damn breakfast," snapped the blond girl quickly in defense as she shrugged the blond man's arm away in annoyance.

"Hoho… touché, aren't we?"

"You're annoying," she deadpanned.

xxxxx

"Ojou-sama, where will you be going?" asked a tall man in a black suit and shades as she reached for the knob to the main door of the mansion.

She sighed.

Even though there were many changes in which they made in the vacation mansion, one thing just never changed. It was the annoying bodyguards who her parents had hired to protect her twenty-four hours round the clock. It was almost impossible to get rid of them, other than the times that she went to the restrooms or took her shower, or when she slept.

She turned around abruptly and glared angrily at the poor man who was only trying to do his job right.

"Do I have to report to you where I'm going?"

The tall man shook his head quickly as the Tenou heir continued with her threat, "Listen, I don't want any of you within 10 meters radius of me, if I catch any one of you following me, I'll have you fired on the spot, got it?"

With that, she grabbed for the doorknob and shut the wide door with a loud slam, causing the bodyguard to wince having the door slammed in his face.

xxxxx

The hospital in Karuizawa was definitely different from the ones she'd seen in Tokyo. The facilities were not very advanced, but the views it offered were great. The abundance of flowers and the small pond in the garden was a beautiful sight. Yellow sunflowers, purplish hydrangeas, pink cockscombs, and Japanese irises could be found on the sides of the garden paths, not only that, one could also see the Shiraito Falls from the roof.

There she lay, with her hands supporting her head as she stared at the boundless skies while watching the birds soaring high above in the blue sky.

'Wish I could be free like you…' she mused sadly.

Minutes passed and turned into hours, and hours soon turned into days. Almost a week had passed and there was not a single soul in sight except for the elderly cleaner lady who was supposed to leave the sheets to dry on the roof in every two days.

She opened her teal eyes and looked up upon the sky. The day was nearly over, she noticed as brilliant orange rays streaked across the darkening skies, signaling that it was already the time for her to leave.

She left the building dejectedly and made her way to the garden languidly. And while she was at it, she kicked a small pebble which was in her way, causing it to tumble a few feet away from her. And as she continued to walk, she began dribbling the pebble with her agile feet until she reached the pond which was situated right in the middle of the garden. With one last kick, the pebble fell into the pond, creating ripples which slowly spread towards the stony edges of the pond.

What could've been heard in the garden during the moment was probably just the chirps of the cicadas and the sound of the pebble falling into the pond with a 'plop'. She sighed and set herself onto the garden bench, her long arms spreading across the back of the bench as she straightened her similarly long legs and leaned her neck backwards to look up at the darkening skies.

'Another fruitless day huh?' thought the young blonde as she closed her eyes to feel her surroundings. 'How long will it take to find her, I wonder?'

Unbeknownst to the blond athlete who was alone in the garden, a girl from one of the middle class wards threw a paper plane into the air with a gentle flick of her thin, pale wrist, wishing for the summer wind to carry it far and wide away from the hospital in which she was confined to and into the horizons.

It wasn't long before the hope was foiled by a sudden gust of strong wind which caused the plane to fall quickly in a circular manner and hit the unknowing blond in the garden in the back of her head.

The blond quickly raised her left hand to rub the back of her head and whipped her head around, looking for the object which managed to strike her in the head. Slowly, she looked down to her feet with the corner of her eye and found a paper plane lying innocently on the garden path.

'A paper plane…?'

She bent down slowly to pick it up out of curiosity. After scrutinizing it for a while, she figured that one of the patients must've thrown in out of their window out of their boredom. After all, no matter how pretty the view was in the hospital, a hospital is still hospital. A dull place filled with smells of anesthetics and many other drugs was not an environment where one would love to live in.

She squinted her eyes and a blue spot on the plane caught her attention. She unfolded the paper plane gingerly and found words being written on the backside of the paper.

'I wish to meet a person who can finish the song with me.'

"What a weird wish," the blond muttered to herself and looked up at the building, searching for the ward which the owner of the plane might be in. A flash of aquamarine caught her eyes and finally, the young blond teen had found who she was looking for all the while.

_For the first time in my life, I thanked god from the bottom of my heart._

_Even though I was never once a religious person._

xxxxx

The blond haired girl stood in front of the ward, her hand holding onto the piece of paper which had miraculously fell upon her head and panted lightly as she debated within herself whether to enter the ward or not. In the first place, what would she say to the girl even if they came face to face? Words would not be enough to describe how she felt when the music captured her heart. She took a look at the nametag that was on the door.

'_Kaiou'_

The sound of someone clearing his/her throat beside her caught her attention and she averted her attention to the person.

"I'm sorry sir, visiting hours are already over; the patient needs her rest. Please come again tomorrow."

The owner of the voice was a middle aged nurse who was holding onto a tray of medicine, probably meant for the girl inside the ward she surmised. It took a while for the nurse's words to register in her mind.

No, she waited far too long for the chance. She _had_ to see her now. That aching longing had been haunting her for almost a week. It was something she never understood. Perhaps, the meeting would somehow enlighten her as to why she felt that way.

With a determined look upon those handsome features she inherited from her father, she spoke firmly, "I only need a moment ma'am. Five minutes- no, maybe even less than that. _Please_."

Was it her or did she seem desperate to the nurse? She didn't care anymore. All she wanted was just another glimpse, and perhaps, just a little touch as well. For now, that would be enough to sooth her aching soul.

The experienced nurse frowned at the young man's persistence. It'd been a while since she had seen that determination from someone. Through the years of experience, she could sense that this certain young man would not budge otherwise.

She sighed and nodded, "Three minutes, no more than that."

The glint in Haruka's teal eyes returned as she thanked the nurse sincerely before knocking on the door, waiting for a response as her cue to open the door. A faint 'come in' was heard, and in she went.

The nurse shook her head. The head nurse would have a field day if she ever found out.

xxxxx

The door shut behind her softly as she held her breath. There she stood, dressed in a patient's gown with slight creases running along the abdomen area of the clothing, probably from sitting on the chair beside the window. Watery aquamarine colored eyes shone under the dim light of the table lamp, accentuating her long and wavy cerulean colored tresses which flowed naturally past her shoulders. Standing at the height of no more than a hundred and sixty centimeters, she seemed petit to someone as tall as Haruka was. The tranquility that she held in her eyes was so deep that if anyone ever tried to gaze into her eyes, they would only drown in those ocean colored pools.

The atmosphere in the room was suffocating for the young blond girl, and yet made her feel secure at the same time.

The petit violinist finally turned away from the window after a while, her ocean pools meeting the asking teal orbs which had been on her since the beginning. It was as if the time stopped in that very ward. No words were said, and yet each understood what the other meant. Was that how soul mates felt? Neither of them had any idea, but without a doubt, something grew within them.

_At that moment, I knew._

_Something had changed inside of me._

_Until then, I had been living in a world of black and white._

"Michiru, Kaiou Michiru," said the smaller girl, breaking the silence between them. The introduction was simple, short and sweet. Yet, that was all that the blond haired girl needed. The aching longing within her was slowly going away, now filled with feelings of relieve and something unknown.

"Haruka, Tenou Haruka," replied Haruka. "I've been…"

The smaller girl smiled as she interrupted the taller girl, "I know. I feel the same."

The desire to know more about this mysterious girl was eating her from the inside. It wasn't just to satisfy her curiosity. She took the plunge and asked, "Would you tell me more about yourself?"

It was that moment that the nurse who had been standing outside the door decided to make her entrance, signaling the end of her three minutes.

"I'm sorry sir, but you really have to go now before the head nurse makes her rounds."

"Ah… yes, I'm just about to leave," said the young teen as disappointment filled her mind. With one last look at the aqua haired girl, she gave a small smile and asked, "Hey… can I come visit you again?"

The petit violinist said nothing but smiled at the Tenou heir as she left the room.

"A friend of yours?" asked the nurse a while after the blond girl left.

"No," replied the smaller girl as she swallowed the medicine given to her after which she continued, "She's someone important to me."

"I'm happy for you then," the older woman smiled gently, and placed the medicine back onto the cold metal tray before leaving the room quietly.

xxxxx

"Hey Haru-nii, do you think Haru's found whoever she's looking for? She's no longer hanging out with us as much, I wonder who that girl is," the younger twin voiced out his thoughts, hazy blue eyes glancing at the side of his brother's well defined face from the corner of his eyes as he rested his elbows on the railings of the balcony, his back facing the beautiful scenery of the mountains of Karuizawa.

"Whoever it is, she must be really important. I hope Haru finds her," the older twin replied with his forearms leaning on the railings, his blue eyes looking up at the starry sky as a fond smile escaped his lips.

"The breeze feels nice tonight."

"Yeah."

xxxxx

That night, Tenou Haruka slept better than ever.

End of Chapter

Akira: I'm sorry you guys waited so long for this short chapter. I have no idea where I should cut it -.- well then, it's finally done! Do review if you feel like it, no obligations.


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